Guilt
by SerendipityDreamer
Summary: When your entire world comes crashing down, what do you say? When the line between good and evil blurs, what do you think? When you've hurt the ones you love the most, what do you do? You live with the guilt.
1. Chapter 1

It had been ten years since the Guardians rose up to fight Pitch. Jack had known what it was like to wait in silence. He understood what it was like to be alone. He had waited three hundred years to be seen and to be believed in.

That belief came with Jamie.

Jamie was the first one to believe in him. He was the one who led the other children to fight Pitch. He was the one that reminded him so much of the sister he once had. Jamie was special.

Until he became a Guardian, he had no chance of this ever happening. He would have remained invisible, outcast, and alone. Jamie had saved him.

And Jamie would ruin him.

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"Guess who's back in town, kids?"

"Jack Frost!"

The children of Burgess ran to embrace him. The ones who didn't cling to his legs bounced on the edge of the group, trying to get closer to Jack. Jack would spend hours with the boys and girls. He played with them until their faces were red and their teeth were chattering. He would build snowmen and create snow angels; he constructed snow forts and started snowball fights. He was having fun. That was his job. He was the Guardian of Fun.

As the sun began to set and the children returned to their parents, Jack always had one more stop to make. He called on the wind to deliver him to the Bennett family home. Whenever he was in town, Jack made a point of visiting Jaime. At eighteen years old, Jaime was still a firm believer in the Guardians. Jack wanted to do everything in his power to make sure Jaime never stopped believing. Jack wanted him to know that he was special.

Jack stood in the backyard, the snow from the ground blowing gently in the breeze. Leaning on his staff, Jack called out, "Hey, Jaime!"

When the second floor window didn't open, Jack started to laugh. Jaime was probably too involved in his music. From Jack's perspective, teenagers were constantly distracted by music, and Jaime was no exception. Jack flew up to the window and gave three quick knocks.

Still nothing.

Jack peeked into the window and saw Jaime sitting at his desk. He was hunched over it, the small lamp shining down on whatever he was working on.

Jack chuckled again. This was a typical Jaime. He floated backwards, forming a snowball in his hands. He threw it at the window, making a satisfying thud against the glass. After a minute, the window was pulled open and Jaime peeked out with his headphones around his neck.

He looked confused as he called out, "Anybody there?"

Jack flew over Jaime's head, avoiding the young boy's his line of sight. When Jaime walked back inside, Jack slipped in easily without being noticed. When Jaime sat back at his desk, Jack thumped his staff on the wooden floor, "Jaime Bennett, you have a very special visitor."

Jaime didn't turn around.

Jack laughed and reached out to yank at Jaime's headphones. "Jaime, you must be deaf!"

Jaime's headphones were still around his neck.

Jack stumbled back, "No. Oh, please, no," He dropped his staff and gripped his hair, "Not him. Not Jaime."

Jack lurched forwards and fell on his knees. Jaime couldn't have stopped believing. Jaime was the first. Jaime was special.

"Damn, it's cold in here," Jaime muttered, "Don't know why I opened the window."

Jaime twisted in his chair and stood up.

He walked right through Jack.

It had been so long since he had felt this: the hollow feeling of disbelief. The gut wrenching feeling that tore away at his strength. But this time it was worse, it was _Jaime Bennett: _The last light, the boy who believed.

Not anymore.

Jack turned around and looked at Jaime staring out the window. He was so much taller now, his brown hair falling in front of his face and covering his brown eyes. Jack remembered seeing him two weeks ago, smiling and laughing as he played in the snow with the Guardian.

What happened?

"Jaime, Pippa's here!"

Jaime's eyes lit up as he hopped across the room, "Coming, Mom!"

Jack reached out to touch Jaime's leg, but he only felt that horrible gut wrenching hollowness again.

Jack stood up, clutching his staff so he wouldn't fall over. He felt like he was going to puke. He stepped towards the door, leaning heavily on the frame. Jack looked around for something, _anything_ that could help him.

He looked behind him to Jaime's desk and observed the drawing there. He stumbled over and gripped the edges of the desk, his eyes scanning the paper. There was a pencil drawing of a beautiful girl. Her hair, tucked behind her ear, rested on her shoulders. She had soft brown eyes and a smile on her lips. On the edge of the paper, written in small scratchy letters, was a name: "Pippa." And next to that name was a small heart.

Jaime Bennett: The Boy who didn't believe. Why? Because of a young love.

Jack would never remember what happened next. Stumbling, he ran through the house and down the stairs. Standing in the living room, he looked between Pippa and Jaime. They were kissing, softly and gently, as young lovers do. Jack couldn't stand is anymore. He screamed out, "How could you do this!?"

The shadows crawled around him.

"You said you'd believe, _forever!"_

His vision was blurring and his voice was cracking.

"I believed in you, too!"

Darkness.

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When Jack woke up, he was still surrounded by darkness. He pushed himself up on his elbows and frantically searched for his staff. When he couldn't find it, he slowly brought himself to his feet. He groped the air for something to steady himself. Instead, he ran headfirst into somebody's gut.

"Hello, Jack."

He knew that voice. That dark voice that twisted your stomach in knots. That voice that put nightmares in children's minds. "Pitch," he whispered.

A dim light began to fill the room. They were in Pitch's lair, the cages dangling from the ceiling, ominous and empty. Pitch stood over Jack with a crooked smile in his face. His eyes glinted with something dark, something inhuman. Jack, who had begun to back away, swallowed hard and muttered, "What do you want?"

"I want what you want, Jack," Pitch replied, "to be believed in."

"I think you're repeating yourself," Jack said, "I still remember Antarctica."

"Perhaps," Pitch remarked as he walked closer to the young Guardian, "but ten years is a long time. It also seems that your statistics have changed."

Jack backed into the wall. Pitch's yellow eyes bore into his. Jack swallowed once more as he looked down to the floor, "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, well," Pitch laughed, "let's refresh your memory, then."

Pitch smiled as black sand clouded Jack's eyes. Jack grabbed his hair again as he sunk to the floor, remembering every detail.

"You loved him," Pitch whispered. Jack tensed as a ten-year-old Jaime came into his mind, laughing as he played with the Guardian.

"He made you a promise," Pitch growled. Jack's eyes filled with tears as he saw a fourteen-year-old Jaime standing in the snow with him, pinkies locked in a promise to stay a child, a promise to be Guardian of Belief.

"You're nothing to him!" Pitch shouted. Jack yelled out in pain as everything flashed in front of him. The fateful sledding incident. The night they fought Pitch. The snowball fights. The laughs, hugs, and smiles they shared. Then he saw him with Pippa, all grown up and madly in love. Jack curled up on the floor, absolutely invisible.

Jack's eyes shot open, but Pitch was gone. He clutched his chest, bunching the fabric of his hoodie in his hands. This wasn't a nightmare. This was real. All of those things, they all happened.

"Scary, isn't it?" Pitch chuckled.

Jack scrambled to his feet, looking in the shadows to find Pitch.

"Get out here, Pitch!" Jack snapped, slowly circling the area.

"Listen Jack," Pitch declared, coming out of the shadows and grabbing his shoulders, holding the Guardian still, "Together, we'll be more powerful than any Guardian. No one will stop believing."

"No one will stop…" Jack mumbled, "but Jaime…"

"When we work together, even Jaime will believe again!" Pitch exclaimed as he extended his arms in a grand gesture, "Everyone will believe in a world of Jack Frost and Pitch Black."

Jack stood numb. He couldn't work with Pitch, could he? The Guardians, what would they say? He only lost one believer. Was he being unreasonable? No, he couldn't be. Jack clenched his eyes shut. This was _Jaime _and there was no one like him.

When Jack opened his eyes, Pitch stood in front of him with Jack's staff in his hand. "Join me, Jack?" he asked, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Jack, slowly, reached out to grab his staff. There was no going back. This was it. "Yeah," he whispered, "I'm in."

His hands circled around his staff.

Pitch grinned, "Perfect."

The room, which had been bathed in a dim yellow light, grew dark once more. Pitch's eyes shone in the darkness and, cautiously, he reached out to touch Jack.

With his palm pressed to Jack's forehead, Pitch's smile grew wider, "I'm glad you agreed, Jack."

Jack didn't struggle. For him, there was nothing left. He had nothing to lose. Jack's eyes transformed from a shining blue to pure white. There were no pupils and no iris, just a soulless white. Like ink on clean paper, Jack's clothes turned black. Frost no longer clung to him as a red hue embraced him. His staff had grown to look like a scythe with a jagged blade. It was as black as his clothes were.

"Jack the Ripper," Pitch chuckled, "That can be your name."

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"Jaime, come on! I'm freezing! Can we please go home?"

"One more minute, Pippa. I promise."

Jaime skated circles around the ice while Pippa, shivering in the cold, groaned. She started to pack up the things they had brought along with them: a picnic basket, a thermos, and a blanket. They were young lovers without a care in the world.

They would have one soon enough.

Clouds began to block out the sun, bringing darkness to the lake and causing the pine trees to cast ominous shadows.

"Jaime!"

"One more lap, Pippa!"

One of the trees cast a shadow right over the lake. Slowly, it began to transform into something almost human. The shadow moved away from the tree, enveloping the lake.

"I'm leaving without you!"

"All right, all right. Gimme a second."

The shadow rose up from the ground, its pure white eyes glowing with something…evil. It took the form of a Jack, or more appropriately, Jack the Ripper. However, it cast the shadow of the King of Nightmares.

Jack raised his scythe and brought it down hard onto the ice. Cracks began to form, tracing lines around the curve of the boy's skates.

"Jaime!"

This was a scream of fear, not frustration. If only he had known.

"I said I was…SHIT!"

The boy couldn't say anything else. The ice had fallen through, plunging him into the icy and dark depths of the lake. The girl ran over, screaming frantically, calling out for the boy. When she couldn't see him, she ran for help. She ran as far and as fast as she could.

It wouldn't be enough.

The figure smiled as it sunk back into the shadows.

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Jack woke up on his back in the middle of the forest. His eyes opened slowly and there was a throbbing sensation in the back of his head. He pushed himself up on his elbows, wincing is pain. He felt around until his hand closed around his staff. Slowly, he pulled himself up. Everything was sore and his eyes were still adjusting to the bright sun.

What had happened to him?

Blinking hard, Jack was able to realize that he was in the woods around Burgess. Maybe he had flown himself here after…after he discovered Jaime didn't believe.

Being in too much pain to call on the wind, Jack decided to walk through the forest. From what he could tell, he was only about ten minutes away from town. It would be pleasant to walk for a while, and it would give him an opportunity to think.

As he walked, Jack focused on how the snow felt on his bare feet. He recognized the distinct smell of pine in the air, and he heard the soft whispers of animals scuttling about. What had he done last night? He remembered yelling at Jaime, but then it all went black. He remembered something with ice and darkness, a cold and consuming darkness.

Jack shuddered at the thought.

Eventually, he came upon the lake. He almost bypassed it completely, he visited it every time he came to town, and it was like a second home. He would have never stopped, but he noticed something peculiar.

The lake had no ice.

Jack walked up to the edge of the lake, toes digging into the frozen soil. He was positive that when he first came to Burgess he had given the lake a new sheet of ice. He couldn't have been passed out for more than a few days because everything else was still frozen. Why was the lake melted?

He made his way into town, waving to the few children who were playing outside. As he ambled along the streets, Jack had noticed that the town was particularly empty. Sure, Burgess was small, but people were always bustling about.

Feeling less sore, Jack slowly let the wind raise him up the skyline. From the sky, he could see a lot farther. Maybe he could figure out what was happening.

In the distance, Jack spotted a church. He could make out almost two-dozen cars, all of them black. And he could see a few people shuffling around, also dressed in black.

Jack knew a funeral when he saw one.

He flew over, landing in front of the bulletin board outside. As plain as the eye could see, spelled out in white block letters, was this: _Bennett Funeral: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m._

Jack shook his head. Bennett, it couldn't have been him. Was it Sophie, maybe his mother? Maybe it was a grandparent. Grandparents died too.

Jack set off running towards the church door, slipping inside past an elderly couple.

The church, while small, was filled with people. Adults, children, and seniors were packed into the small pews. There was an almost sacred silence enveloping the room. Jack, wanting to remain unseen, stayed in the back. People passed through him as they walked in the door to find a seat. That empty feeling though, that meant nothing right now. He could see the casket from across the church and it was wide open. From where he was standing, he could see a fleck of brown hair.

_No._

Jack didn't care about being seen at this point. He walked straight down the middle aisle. He walked past tearful adults and confused children. The ones that did see him merely cocked their heads. They knew something was off.

There was someone standing in front of the coffin. She was five feet tall and her messy blonde hair, tied back in a bun, made her black dress stand out.

"Sophie?"

The girl turned to find the source of the voice. Her green eyes looked into his blue ones, and she softly whispered, "He's gone."

Jack shook his head. Sophie's eyes were bloodshot and her face was slightly puffy. Her cheeks were tear-stained and even more tears threatened to roll down her face.

For the first time, Jack looked at the casket. Jack could remember his smile. He could remember how his eyes would shine whenever he was happy. But now, he could never open his eyes again. His face would stay as it was now, eternally asleep.

_Jaime was dead._

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The sun was setting over Burgess. Jack stood in the street, leaning on his staff, watching the street lamps flicker on. The air was cold, and the roads were still covered in a thin layer of slush. The town was now devoid of life. Everyone had gone home. They all had lives to return to. They had a family to be with. The Bennett's, however, would never be that family again.

Jack had stayed at the funeral. He saw Sophie, sweet and innocent Sophie, racked with tears and utterly distraught. He had seen his parents fall into each others arms. He had seen Pippa, lovely Pippa, hug herself because Jaime could never do it again. All of those lives were ruined.

"Hello, Jack."

It was that voice again. This was the voice that started it all. "Pitch," he growled.

Pitch walked out of the shadows with his hands behind his back. He smiled, "I thought you'd be a bit more welcoming, Jack."

"Why would I welcome you, Pitch?" Jack hissed, "You've never helped me."

"No," Pitch laughed as he walked closer towards the Guardian, "but you've helped me."

Jack's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"Jack, your memory is failing you these days," Pitch scoffed, "I truly am surprised you don't remember."

"Remember what?!" Jack shouted.

"This," Pitch replied, tossing black sand into Jack's eyes.

Jack stumbled back, trying to steady himself. He pulled at his hair as images flashed in front of him. He could see the lake and he could see Jaime skating on it. He had those eyes, the ones that shown with pure happiness.

Jack saw the shadows moving in the trees. He sensed that whatever they were, they were evil. And he knew Pitch controlled them.

He saw the shadow boy raise his scythe and break the ice. He saw Pippa running.

"_He died cold and alone, Jack, just like you."_

Before the shadow boy disappeared, Jack saw it. He saw the icy blue eyes and the shaggy silver hair. He knew.

"_NO!" _Jack shouted and launched forwards, his staff firing a surge of frost at Pitch. He jumped back, avoiding the blast, and the young Guardian stood, ready to fight.

"You played me!" Jack shouted.

"And you were quite the pawn," Pitch chuckled.

Jack thrust his staff, forcing it directly against Pitch's head.

"What will this accomplish, Jack," Pitch inquired, "It won't bring him back."

Jack knew he was right. Jaime was dead, and nothing could bring him back. But, dammit, he wanted to right his wrongs. "Shut up," he whispered.

"It's not like he believed in you."

"I said to shut the fuck up!" he screamed smacking Pitch over the head with his staff.

Pitch, with a small growl, melted into the shadows.

Jack stood alone in the street once more. He clenched and unclenched his fist. Random sparks of frost came from his staff. "He didn't believe," Jack muttered.

"But you believed in him."

Jack whipped around and fired at Pitch, but the frost only hit a distant lamppost.

"Looks like you'll just have to live with the guilt," Pitch said, materializing behind Jack, "The weight of a dead body, the anger of a broken family, and the shards of broken hearts. All of them rest in your hands, Jack."

"This is all your fault, Pitch," Jack growled.

"But who was the one to break the ice?" Pitch whispered in his ear, "Who was the one who agreed to work with me?"

Jack sucked in his breath.

Pitch only smiled, "Think about what you've done, Frost."

He disappeared into the shadows.

This was his fault. If he hadn't agreed with Pitch, if he hadn't listened to him, things might have worked out better. If he had gone to the other Guardians, they could have helped him. But, no, he listened to Pitch.

He was a fool.

_A car alarm blared._

A guilty, murderous, fool.

_The street lamp hanging over him sputtered and died out._

Cold and alone.

_The moon wasn't hanging in the sky._

Forever.


	2. Chapter 2

There was no more winter that year.

Jack had not only disappeared from Burgess, but from the world all together. Snow no longer fell in Moscow; Ice no longer formed in London; Children no longer had fun.

The Guardians were worried.

Bunnymund had scoured the world. He searched from Burbank to Sydney, from Rio de Janeiro to Tokyo, but he never found Jack.

Sandy continued to give the children their dreams, but even he was distracted. He began to give children dreams of snow, sledding, and ice-skating. He made sure they remembered what Jack would bring.

Toothiana had returned to the field, but not to collect teeth. She flitted around from Paris to New York, returning the memories of times spent with Jack. She made sure the children remembered the fun they had had.

North had taken up the liberty of writing letters to each child. It was very rare when he wrote a letter, but the current circumstances had called for it. He would write a letter for the children, urging them to remain faithful. He told them that they needed to believe in what they couldn't see.

The Guardians, however, all asked each other the same question: "Where is Jack?"

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"Jack?"

Sophie stared out her window, studying the hunched frame in the tree behind her house. She pushed her hair out of her face, squinting her eyes to make sure she wasn't crazy.

"It's freakin' Jack Frost," Sophie mumbled and shook her head. She marched to her window and pulled it open. As soon as she stuck her head out, the wind began to whip around her, pushing her hair into her mouth. She fumbled for a minute before shouting, "Jack!"

The wind slowed and the hunched frame began to straighten.

"Jack, it's me, c'mon."

The wind stopped and the figure stood up completely, twisting around so it's blue eyes could stare into her green ones.

Jack Frost had returned.

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"Where have you been, Jack?"

The young girl sat on her bed with her legs folded beneath her. Jack balanced on her bed frame, his staff firmly gripped in his right hand and his hair falling in front of his face.

He glanced up, studying her face before looking down again.

"You wouldn't have come back if you didn't want to."

Jack sighed, "I know."

Sophie spoke more firmly this time, "Where have you been, Jack?"

Jack maneuvered himself to sit on the bed across from her. He never met her eyes, but he spoke clearly, "In exile."

"Why?" she asked, scooting closer to him.

"You know why," Jack growled.

"No," Sophie pressed, "I don't."

Jack pushed himself off of his bed and crossed the room to the door. Sophie began to chase after him as he stormed out of the room.

"Jack," Sophie pleaded, "please don't run."

"I'm not," he growled.

He pushed on before stopping completely at the end of the hall. His eyes scanned the door, observing every scratch and chip in the wood. His eyes, however, always drifted to two words taped to the door: "Jaime's Room."

Sophie reached out to grab Jack's shoulder, massaging the muscle in an attempt to calm him. Jack shrugged her off and forced his way into the room.

The only light came from the moonlight shining through the window. A thin layer of dust had gathered over everything: clothes, schoolbooks, and even the bed. Jack looked around before whispering, "How long?"

Sophie whispered back, "Not since the funeral."

He turned to the desk, and it was there, the picture of Pippa. Her eyes were glimmering with happiness, but Jack remembered how sad she had been...how broken she had become.

Jack clenched his fists, relishing the feeling of wood digging into his palm. He clenched his teeth and glanced at Sophie. Her hair had fallen in front of her face and he could see her shaking. He wanted to comfort her, to whisper into her ear and tell her everything was fine, but he knew it wasn't.

He didn't realize he was shaking; He didn't feel the tears streaming down his face; He didn't notice Sophie inching closer to him; He didn't feel her grab his hand.

"Jack," she whispered.

"It's all my fault," Jack whimpered, "He's dead because of me."

"No, Jack," Sophie pleaded, "It was an accident. No one could have…"

"No!" Jack shouted, "I went to Pitch! He…he did something to me…"

Sophie's eyes pleaded with him, urging him to stop.

Jack shut his eyes, "Jaime…he didn't see me. He was too caught up in Pippa. I…I was scared. Pitch, he took advantage of me. I'm the reason the ice broke."

Sophie started to cry, "No."

Jack shuddered, "I'm so sorry, Sophie."

She shook her head and whispered, "He never stopped, Jack."

Jack stopped shaking, "No, I tried…he couldn't hear me."

"That entire morning he was wishing you froze the lake enough to skate."

"No," Jack whispered. He was shaking again.

"He was hoping you decided to not have a snow day."

"No," Jack growled. He was pulling at his hair.

"He told Pippa he hoped Jack Frost wouldn't get in the way of their date."

"No!" Jack shouted.

Jaime couldn't have believed. He had tried to talk to him. Sophie couldn't be right, she couldn't be.

He turned, bursting out of the window and flying into the night. He flew far and fast, back to where he knew he wouldn't be found, into the cold Artic wasteland.

Sophie stood in her dead brother's room, tears streaming silently down her face. She wrung out her hands as her hair blew in the breeze from the window. She stepped forward to close it, but not without whispering, "Goodbye, Jack."

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Bunnymund had been in Havana when Jack flew over. He tried to call out to him, but he was gone as quickly as he came.

He knew he had to tell the others.

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Jack had been screaming for hours. He cursed the Moon; He cursed Pitch; He cursed everyone and everything that he had ever come in contact with. His voice was only drowned out by wind. When he finally exhausted himself, he collapsed to the ground. He dropped his staff and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I think this is highly unnecessary, Jack."

It was him.

"Fuck you, Pitch!" Jack yelled, quickly picking up his staff and surging ice towards him.

Pitch disappeared as quickly as he came.

Panting, Jack rose to his feet. He looked around, like a beast filled with bloodlust. "Where are you, Pitch?!" he roared, "Come out and fight me, dammit!"

"I've already won the battle, Jack."

Jack whipped around, but only the blank landscape stared back at him. Jack tightened his grip on his staff and shouted once more into the wind, "Get out here!"

A deep laugh filled the air, "Oh, but, Jack, it wouldn't be a fair fight."

"I could beat you any day, Pitch!"

"But is today that day, Jack?"

Jack wavered as the wind around him slowed.

"You are in a weakened state, Jack," Pitch cooed, "You are in no condition to fight."

A hand grazed Jack's shoulder. The young spirit turned, glaring into gentle yellow eyes. "I'm not an idiot, Pitch," Jack growled.

"But you are angry," Pitch replied.

Jack turned back around, "Jaime still believed," he whispered.

"How do you know, Jack?" Pitch asked, "She could have told you exactly what you needed to hear. That little human might have been lying."

Jack started to walk away, "Sophie wouldn't lie."

"Do you really know her, Jack? You never expected Jaime to stop believing, how could you expect Sophie not to lie?"

Jack was ready to scream. His world was shattering. Pitch's lies were as sweet as honey, sounding as smooth as the truth. Jack could no longer tell the two apart.

"I'll make you one more offer, Jack. Join me, or stay alone."

Jack couldn't answer him. He could feel tears burning in his eyes as the wind picked up around him. He had been alone for more than three hundred years; he was trying to decide if he could do it again.

Pitch smiled, "I'll give you some time."

Pitch disappeared and Jack was alone once more. And Jack wanted it to stay that way.

Jack looked to the sky, staring into the darkness. It was so inviting, cold, dark, and empty. Maybe fading away was the solution.

Then the sky woke up. It exploded into colors ranging from purple to blue, green to red. It danced to a silent song across an equally silent night.

"The Borealis," Jack muttered, "they saw me."

Jack shook his head and flew off into the night, deeper and deeper into the Artic. He didn't want to be found. He would stay as far away from the Guardians as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

"And you're sure you saw him, Bunny?"

"I would recognize that Show Pony anywhere, Tooth. I know it was Jack."

The Guardians had gathered in North's Workshop. Toothiana was buzzing around worriedly, wringing her hands at the news Bunny had given. North stood with his arms crossed, his brow scrunched in concentration. Sandy studied each of the Guardians, gauging their concern along with his own.

Bunny paced back and forth, twirling his boomerang in his hand. "Ya' sure there's no way to find 'im?" he wondered aloud.

"If Jack does not want to be found, we should not look for him," North replied.

"No," Tooth bit back, "He's our friend and he needs our help!"

"Jack does not seem to want our help, Tooth," North grumbled.

"But…but… that doesn't mean…" Tooth stammered, "I…we can't give up on him!"

Bunny sighed, "I've gotta agree with Tooth, mate. Jack needs us now more than ever."

Sandy, with the flourish of a few sand symbols, also agreed.

North groaned and massaged the bridge of his nose, "I want to help him."

"Then why are you so unsure?" Tooth questioned.

North scanned the faces of his fellow Guardians before answering, "Jaime Bennett."

The room fell silent.

"That was an accident," Tooth whispered.

"I know," North sighed, "but what transpired would scar anyone, physically and mentally."

"So ya think he's gone bloody insane?" Bunny asked.

"I know I would," North replied.

They didn't talk after that. He was a Guardian; he was their friend. They wanted to help, but they didn't know how. Jack seemed beyond their reach.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Jack decided he liked to be alone.

He sat in the depths of the Artic, deep within a trench hidden in the snowy, vacant landscape. His staff was by his side, and his only company was the thoughts inside his head:

"You fucked up."

"Pitch is right."

"You should have gone to the Guardians."

"What other choice did you have?"

"Jaime is dead."

He wanted the voices to stop. He wanted them all to shut up and he wanted to be alone. Jack never had that sort of luck though.

Jack looked up and through the trench he could no longer see the Borealis. The voices started up again:

"They're all together."

"You should be there. You're a Guardian."

"They think you're crazy."

"No, they don't, they want to help."

"Why would they help? You're going crazy."

Jack clenched his fists. The voices were becoming more hostile. They started to sound like the people who judged him:

"Are you outta your bloody mind!?" Bunny shouted.

"Let us help you." Tooth soothed.

"Come to your senses." North bellowed.

"You're better than this." Sophie called.

The voice he desperately wanted to hear, the voice he could no longer remember, was Jaime's. He wouldn't judge him. Everyone wanted to "help" him; they wanted to fix him. Jaime wouldn't, he would hug him and tell him it was all right. He would listen; he wouldn't pass judgments.

Jack started to cry as a new voice filled his mind.

"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."

Jack looked up and saw the moon rising over him. The Man in the Moon had spoken to him.

"When did you start to care?" Jack asked, "When the hell did _you_ start to care!?"

Jack rose to his feet and continued talking, "You could have helped me! When Jaime was dying, you should have been there!"

Jack was shouting now, pointing his staff at the moon, "I hate you! You have done nothing for me! _You _are the reason I'm going fucking crazy!"

Jack started to rise out of the trench, "Don't you dare come to me now to help me! You lost your chance!"

Jack aimed a blast of frost at the moon before flying off once more, this time in the direction of Burgess, but not to see Sophie.

Definitely not Sophie.

"I'll show them who can change," Jack thought, "Jack Frost is gonna change."

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

"Pitch?"

Jack had flown to Burgess. He had gone deep into the forest and he had found the old rotten bed frame. Pitch had offered him a deal, and Jack wanted to collect.

He stood in the Nightmare King's lair, his eyes passing over the hanging cages. They were almost empty now, their only occupant being the darkness that fell over everything here.

"Well, well, I certainly didn't expect to find you here."

Pitch came out from the shadows. He sauntered over to the winter spirit and stood with his hands behind his back. He smiled, "Have you considered my offer?"

"I have," Jack replied, standing straighter, "and I accept."

Pitch's smile grew wider, "Oh, Jackie Boy, I knew you would come around!" He wrapped his arms around Jack, "We can do so much together, Jack."

Jack pulled away and scowled, "Before _we _do anything, Pitch, I have a few conditions that need to be met."

"Really now?" Pitch asked, crossing his arms, "What might they be?"

"One," Jack said, counting on his fingers, "I want to be in control. You can possess me or whatever the hell you did last time, but I want to know what I'm doing."

Pitch nodded, giving Jack the sign to continue.

"Two, I deal the Guardians on my own terms. Three, you make the voices stop._._"

"Haunted by guilt are we?" Pitch quipped.

"I don't have to be here, Pitch," Jack growled.

"All right, calm down," Pitch said, raising his hands in mock defense, "I can do that," Pitch extended his hand with a smirk, "So, do we have a deal?"

Jack stood for a moment. This was it, there no going back. No more guilt and no more voices. This would be good. He was going to change. Jack gripped his hand and firmly shook it, "Deal."

The two stepped away from each other. Jack stood firmly, gripping his staff in front of him. His eyes were closed. Pitch smiled and extended an arm, letting the black dream sand flow from him. The sand, almost like the wind, encompassed Jack. It swirled around his legs and slowly moved up his body. It wrapped around his arms like chains and appeared to choke his neck. The sand that wove through it stained his hair, which flowed in the invisible breeze.

Slowly, the encompassing sand started to disappear. It rested on Jack's skin and slowly seeped into him. Jack breathed in, accepting the darkness that entered him. He was ready.

When all of the sand had disappeared, Jack opened his eyes. They were no longer blue; they were pitch black with a ring of toxic amber. A single speck of white floated towards the center of his eye.

Jack rolled his shoulders and neck which had grown stiff from the stand. He flexed his arms and sighed pleasantly as he felt a surge of power rush through him. It was dark and frightening, but it was a delicious vice; enticing and powerful. Jack licked his lips as he relished the next surge, "What was it that you called me the first time?"

Pitch grinned as he remembered the pet name, "Jack the Ripper."

Jack laughed and flourished his staff, "Then Jack Frost is dead and Jack the Ripper is here to stay."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Chapter Four! I typed this up today, the last day of my four day weekend D': Updates won't always be this fast, it depends on the amount of homework/studying I have, but I'll try and remain vigilant!

Thanks to MoonAndIce and The Sapphire Dolphin for following my story!

And thanks to Night-Fury1 reviewing! (and for being super pumped for this story too :P)

Reviews and comments are always appreciated, guys! Enjoy the story! ^.^

* * *

After his "transformation", Jack had spent another week alone. No Pitch, no Guardians, no Sophie, absolutely alone. He did this for two reasons.

One: To practice his newfound powers.

Two: To make sure the voices had stopped.

Jack had decorated the blank landscape of the Artic with towers of frozen darkness. They had menacing curves and violent arches, white and blue frost that glittered with black sand.

Jack thought they were beautiful.

He also discovered that he could create sand of his own. It didn't have the ability to create nightmares, but it left sort of a muted reality: Not a dream, not a nightmare, but a coma.

Days were spent in training, and nights were spent planning.

He sat on top of the tallest black frost tower. He let the wind blow over him as he left himself to his thoughts. Thoughts that only had his voice. No one was judging him; no one wanted to help him. The moon had gone quiet, just as it should have been.

Jack was at peace. He felt ready and able, and he wanted to let everyone know that he had changed for the better.

Jack knew that Easter fell rather late on the calendar this year, and he knew Bunnymund would be busy preparing. Jack couldn't get into the Warren, not without North's snow globe. Jack decided he would wait out the rabbit, but he wouldn't wait quietly.

On April 16, the day before Easter, the sleepy town of Burgess was plagued by a blizzard. Travel was treacherous, power outages were numerous, and death was possible. In fact, three people died in that blizzard.

Jack witnessed all of them.

The first was an electrical worker. A utility pole collapsed and crushed the poor man, fifty years old and two weeks from retirement. Jack made sure he had put an extra layer of frost on the pole, just to make sure it would fall.

The second was a young woman. She was driving into town to visit her family, but she lost control of her car. She was twenty years old and recently engaged. Jack made sure he had iced all of the roads.

The final one was a child, about ten years old. He had been so happy to see the snow, so he ran off to play. When the weather worsened and all the children had returned home, one boy was buried under a snowdrift, frozen and suffocated. Jack had made the winds especially strong.

Jack the Ripper had made his debut, and the Guardians had taken notice.

* * *

"This is bloody great, North! The day before Easter, and the Show Pony decides to cause a bloody blizzard!"

Bunny was storming around North's Workshop with his arms flailing and a firm grip on his boomerang. His nose was twitching uncontrollably and his eyes were filled with rage.

Toothiana and Sandy sat off to the side, observing Bunnymund's outburst. Sandy attempted to comfort the anguished Tooth, who was on the verge of tears.

North leaned wearily against his desk as he had when the Guardians met before. North had heard about the blizzard in Burgess, and he also knew about the deaths it had caused.

"I'm upset too, Bunny," North sighed, "but I can only assume vhy Jack is acting this vay."

"And why the hell is that?!" Bunny asked, facing the elder Guardian.

"You don't think," Tooth interrupted, her voice cracking, "he couldn't have."

North shook his head, "I fear he has."

Tooth gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. She shook her head, "We…we should have…we knew he needed help…"

Bunny sighed and bounced over to the fairy. He held her firmly by the shoulders, but spoke softly, "Calm down, sheila. He'll be fine, he always has been."

"Bunny," she choked, "he couldn't go to Pitch. He just…he," Tooth had trailed off, her body racked with tears.

Bunny pulled Tooth into a hug, "S'all right, sheila, it's gonna be all right."

Bunny glanced over at North who had developed a worried look in his eyes. Tooth had taken Jack's behavior to heart; she was the most broken. Sandy floated between them and signaled with his dream sand: A rabbit, an Easter egg, a snowflake.

"Ya think Jack's gonna be waitin' for me?" Bunny questioned.

Sandy nodded, looking between the two Guardians.

North nodded, "It vouldn't be unexpected. He did choose Burgess, that must stand for something."

"What if," Bunny began, "he has… changed?"

"You'll have to keep your guard up," North replied, "but we'll be able to keep in touch if he…becomes hostile."

Bunny nodded and squeezed Tooth tighter as her sobs became louder. The Guardians were at their wits end, and this seemed to be their last chance.

* * *

Jack stood on branch surveying the local park. For some reason he couldn't really fathom, the town had made sure the park was cleared for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Jack scoffed as the children ran wild; cheering each time they found one of the brightly colored eggs. They used to run around that way with him for a snow day.

"No," Jack thought, shaking his head, "not anymore. You're better now."

At least Jack's efforts wouldn't be in vain. The Easter Bunny was sure to show up.

An hour later, the children and their families had all dispersed, leaving the park empty. Jack leapt down from the tree, landing softly on the frost-covered grass. He waved his staff in the air, watching the black frost that trailed behind it. He wondered how the others would react to his newfound powers.

"Snowflake?"

Jack turned around to see Bunnymund standing a few yards behind him. Jack smiled, cocking his head and bringing his staff to his shoulder, "Long time, no see, Kangaroo."

Bunny nodded, his nose twitching slightly. Bunny knew that Jack still sounded the same; that had to be good.

Jack strode closer to the Guardian, tilting his head to examine the rabbit's face, "You look nervous, Bunny."

"You could say that, mate," Bunny replied.

"May I ask why?" Jack questioned.

"Ya' been gone a long time, mate, everybody's been worried."

Jack inched closer, floating upwards so that their faces were even.

Their eyes met.

Bunny's eyes widened as he backed up, "It's true then."

Jack shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know damn well what I'm talking about."

"Why is it such a bad thing?" Jack asked with outstretched arms, "That blizzard, it was possible because of him!"

"It killed three people!" Bunny yelled, grabbing his boomerang.

"You're missing the point, Bunny, that blizzard was a thing of beauty!"

"You're a bloody mongrel," Bunny growled.

"Or maybe you don't realize that I've changed," Jack smiled, swirling the black frost with his staff once more.

Bunny studied the frost before muttering a response, "Ya changed, alright, but not in a good way."

"That is an opinion," Jack replied, wagging his finger, "I think I've changed for the better."

With a growl, Bunny charged. Caught off guard, Jack was pinned to the ground, his staff knocked out of his reach.

"Pitch is still controlling ya, mate!" Bunny shouted, "Why can't you see that?!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing," Jack replied.

"But your eyes, Jack!"

"I like them," Jack replied, slowly shifting his weight, "You'll have to get used to it."

With a surge of power, Jack pushed the rabbit off of him. Using the wind to push him forward, Jack was able to pin Bunny to a nearby tree. With his arm pushing into the rabbit's throat, Jack leaned in next to his ear, "Look, Kangaroo, I'm a changed man. There's no hope trying to _help_ me."

Bunny hissed and tried to break away, but he was easily pushed back down. "Tell the other Guardians what I am now, tell them how I've changed."

"Who have ya' become?" Bunny choked out.

"Jack," he grinned, "Jack the Ripper."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Dun dun DUN! Oh, I feel so deliciously evil…Jack is just having so much fun with his Black Frost powers! (yes, I've named his altered abilities. It makes more sense than constantly typing "white and blue frost with black sand all the time :P)

Just a little hint hint, Jack is gonna be paying a visit to each of the Guardians. Bunny was his first, but you'll have to wait and see who the next one is gonna be ;D

If I don't update, I hope you guys have a good end of January and early February! (Because the beginning and the end of months are important too)

Yours till the birthday cakes,

SerendipityDreamer


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **I'm back! :D Yes, my long awaited update…life has made it very difficult for me to write this, but it is finally done! Jack pays a visit to another Guardian this time around, so I'll let you find out who!

Thanks to HubridBunny, Courage84905, RisingDarkAngel, and Peanut Butter Rules for following and adding my story to their favorites! ^.^

Thanks to Little-Trina for the follow!

Thanks to Skye Bloodwillow for the favorite!

And thanks to nightmre13, Night-Fury1, Courage84905, mwahahahaha (a guest), RisingDarkAngel, and paracuties for leaving comments/reviewing!

All reviews, comments, follows, and favorites are appreciated. They really motivate me :)

Enjoy the story!

* * *

Bunny was leaning against a table in North's workshop, his paws rubbing his temples. He was breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself. North paced the floor worriedly, his fists shaking. Tooth sat on the floor; her entire being was completely still. Sandy stood next to her, comforting her.

"He threatened you," North grumbled, "How far has Pitch gone?"

"It was his eyes, North," Bunny sighed, "They were almost completely black."

North shook his head, muttering swears under his breath. Bunny continued, "He still spoke the same, he acted the same, but his heart's not right."

The Guardians were silent. Nothing was right. Jack had been their friend, their ally, a Guardian. The Guardians as a whole were broken, and now they were starting to wear down. They were standing on thin ice, and it was already cracking beneath their feet.

* * *

Four months had passed. Blizzards howled across the world. More and more people died. Jack was becoming more and more powerful, and the Guardians were at a loss.

They couldn't reverse Pitch's magic. It would be nearly impossible. They could only watch as their friend attacked the world he once loved.

And they could only wait to see when he would visit the ones he used to love.

* * *

It was a warm August night in Burgess. Summer was winding down. The days rolled by and the threat of school drew closer, but the children were still dreaming. Dreaming of water balloon fights and days at the beach. They would hold these memories with them.

When all the children of Burgess were asleep, Jack made quick work of their teeth. In mere minutes, Jack had collected the tooth of every child. From time to time, he would see the smaller tooth fairies flying past him, their eyes widening at the sight of him.

Jack chuckled to himself. A few would chase after him, but a flick of his wrist froze their wings and sent them plummeting to the ground, causing the other fairies to go into a frenzy. A few flew off at high speeds, no doubt to report Jack's whereabouts.

Jack knew she would come.

* * *

He stood on top of the tallest building in town: the clock tower. He was hunched over, his staff leaning against his shoulder. The winds whistled around him, not too fierce. He needed to make sure Tooth could fly.

Jack shook the bag of teeth in his other hand. He heard them rustle, almost like the small clinking of pennies. They were like money, collect so many and you were rich with memories. Memories of birthdays, summers, and snow. Beautiful, exhilarating, fun-filled, snow days.

Jack shook his head, "Dammit, no. You're better now, Ripper."

Jack looked up when he heard a faint buzzing in the distance. He could see the multicolored blur in the distance, and he could hear her voice carried on the wind, "Jack!"

Jack rose to his full height, a small smirk playing on his lips. Tooth was so plucky, so excitable. That would make her easy.

Tooth slowed to a stop in front of the spirit. She didn't know how to feel. Excited? Scared? Cautious? Tooth had hoped that the old Jack was back, that he got her attention to tell her he was better. One look in his eyes told her she was wrong.

Tooth's face fell, but filled with anger when she saw the teeth in his hand, "You're the reason why I have so many unaccounted for."

Jack shrugged, "How else was I getting your attention, huh?"

Tooth lunged for the bag, but Jack flew away, wagging his finger, "C'mon, Toothy, we can be civil."

Tooth chased after him, shouting, "Civil ended when you went to Pitch! And then when you attacked Bunny!"

"Exaggerations!" Jack shouted playfully, "I was just having a little fun!"

The two flew through the air. Jack was laughing, making quick spins and graceful loops as the wind carried him. Tooth flew as straight as she could, anger in her eyes and pain in her heart. Jack still wanted to have fun. That had to count for something.

Jack quickly grew tired of his game, and came to rest on the pavement. Tooth, who followed behind him, had slowed considerably, her cheeks flushed and breathing heavily. Grinning, Jack held up the bag of teeth, "This is what you want, huh?"

Tooth growled, lunging once more for the bag. Jack jumped back and, just like he had done for the tooth fairies, froze her wings.

Tooth fell to the ground with a gasp as Jack merely scoffed, "If it didn't work last time, what made you think it would work this time?"

Desperately, she looked into his eyes. She wanted to see just a fleck of blue, a shimmer of hope. All she saw was a cold and snowy darkness, Pitch's darkness. "Why, Jack?" she whispered.

Jack leaned down next to her ear, "Why not?"

He stood straight once more and jangled the bag of teeth in his hand. Tooth was easy bait and Jack knew that. But he wasn't going to leave her off this easily

"What happens, Tooth, when teeth are destroyed?"

Her eyes widened, "Please, Jack, no."

"No, really, I'm curious," Jack replied, pulling a tooth out of his bag and scrutinizing it, "I mean, this kid has to have quite a few memories, right?"

Tooth was shaking now. She knew what he was going to do, "Please."

Jack continued, "If the tooth is destroyed, do the memories go away?" Jack twisted the tooth between his fingers, "I really wonder."

Tooth was crying now and she was unable to speak. She watched as Jack fished more teeth out of the bag.

"Now," Jack muttered, "what if I…" He never finished. He let the tooth collapse between his fingers. "Well," he pondered, "how easy was that?"

Tears filled her eyes as she watched him smile. She whimpered as each tooth was crushed. She whined when the dust was carried away by the wind. Those were lost memories of childhood, never to be regained.

"No more memories," Jack cooed, throwing a few teeth to the floor and crushing them beneath his feet, "How's that feel, Tooth?"

Tooth was shaking, sobbing and choking on her breath, "W-wh-why!?"

Jack, slowly, lifted the last tooth out of the bag. He placed it in front of the fairy before crouching down next to her, "My memories, Tooth, they hurt me."

She couldn't look in his eyes, so instead she focused on the tooth, "My memories are something I _want_ to forget, and y'know what," he said, raising his staff, "I'm a whole lot happier."

He brought his staff down. The tooth crunched beneath it.

Tooth couldn't move. Jack had ruined her. She had seen first hand what he had become, and she could no longer deny it. Jack wasn't the same.

"I'm better now, Tooth," Jack muttered, "Tell everyone what happened."

Jack called on the wind to carry him away. Tooth lied on the pavement, cold, alone, and utterly numb. She had no more tears, but her lungs continued to heave. She felt like a piece of her was missing, the memories of all those children. Gone. Forever. And maybe Jack was too.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Happy February guys! I've got quite a few school projects to work on, but hopefully there will be another chapter this weekend! Wednesday is a weird day to update, but I was only able to today :/

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated!

Yours till the heart beats,

SerendipityDreamer


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **I'm back! :D There are some book references in this chapter, so I'll try and incorporate that so people who haven't read them can kinda get the jist.

I haven't read them. So I thank my friend Eryn for the facts. I probably did it no justice, but a writer's gotta try right?

Thanks to demonsLOver for adding my story to their favorites!

Thanks to Myth. and Firestar55 for following!

Thanks to Night-Fury1, RisingDarkAngel, Skye Bloodwillow, and RabbitPaols for reviewing/commenting!

Enjoy the story! ^.^

* * *

"I'm gonna _kill_ that bloody bastard!"**  
**

Bunny stormed into North's Workshop. His eyes were full of rage and the Yetis had narrowly avoided him. Any unlucky elf would be kicked to the side of the room.

The Guardian had heard from Sandy about what had happened to Tooth. He had found her lying on the pavement and he had carried her back to North Pole. She was silent, and that wasn't normal. Sandy had tried to give her dreams, but her body rejected them.

Something was horribly wrong.

The rabbit continued surging forwards in a blind rage. He knew where Tooth would be resting, and he'd be damned if he couldn't see her.

"Bunny!"

The older Guardian pulled the rabbit back. North glared at him before speaking, "Now is not time for passion. Now is time for healing and rest."

Bunny pulled away, "No, North! How is time gonna fix Tooth? The bastard destroyed the teeth! He's gone too far, mate!"

North shook his head, "Go see her."

Bunny pushed North aside and walked down the hallway. He put his paw on the doorknob. He had to see her. He knew that. But what had happened to her? Bunny shook his head and forced the door open.

His breath was caught in his throat.

Tooth was curled up on the bed. She looked almost dead. Her feathers no longer shimmered. The blues, purples, and greens were now a dulled gray. Feathers fluttered to the floor. She shivered even though the room was quite warm. The smaller tooth fairies flitted around her in worry. A few tried to shake her, but Tooth was unresponsive.

"Shit."

"She needs time, Bunny."

Bunny turned around to face North. The elder Guardian grasped the rabbit's shoulder.

Bunny took a cautious step forwards. A few fairies buzzed around him, but the others paid him no mind. Bunny's voice wavered, "There's nothing we can do?"

North kept his voice calm, "I'm afraid not."

Bunny couldn't stay still. He wrung out his arms; he paced back and forth; he shook his head, "No," Bunny said raising his voice, "We gotta fight 'im"

"Bunny, attacking him won't solve anything. Jack is sure to visit Sandy or myself next. We will wait. We will both be ready for him."

Bunny was breathing heavily. He stared across the room to look at North, but his gaze was drawn back to Tooth. She had curled up tighter, her lip quivering. Her eyes shut tight, like she was trapped in a nightmare.

North shook his head, "I need you to calm down and take care of Tooth."

Bunny clenched his fists and took a deep breath, "I…I don't know if I can, mate."

"Give her _hope_, Bunny_._"

The rabbit nodded but he was still shaking.

North placed his hand firmly on the rabbit's shoulder once more, "Jack will come back to us, Bunny," the Guardian gripped his gut, "I can feel it in my belly."

They both chuckled. The only way to get through such pain and loss was to laugh.

The two stood there in a denial filled laughter as Tooth writhed in pain.

Jack the Ripper was winning.

* * *

Jack decided he liked to do things in four. Four Guardians, four months, four chances. He could control them like this; he could control their fear with time.

He needed to be in control.

Jack hadn't realized what he had done to Tooth at first. It was an unintentional affect, but one that worked in his favor. Tooth, in her weakened state, had been receptive to Jack's new powers. When he had frozen her wings, his own "dream sand" had entered her. And just like he had discovered in the Artic, it put her in a coma, a terrible, horrifying coma.

She couldn't fight.

His job got a whole lot easier.

* * *

"I said to paint them red! It is day before Christmas Eve, now is not time for mistakes!"

North paced across the workshop floor. The Yetis rushed around, finalizing everything for the big day. The elves busied themselves at their feet, making their own misshapen toys. North gave them an encouraging nod and continued on. He wanted everything to go off without a hitch, but he knew better.

Jack was due for a visit.

A loud explosion shook the workshop.

_Time to fight._

The Yetis rushed to move the toys from the main floor. The elves circled in confusion. North stood alone in the center of the chaos, tall and proud. When everyone was gone from the room, he unsheathed his twin swords. He wielded his weapons and faced the door. He wasn't going down without a fight.

Another explosion shook the ground as the doors blasted open. From the smoke, a dark, lean figure approached. A staff was on his shoulder and a smile was on his face.

"You're security is really slacking off this time, North."

North gripped his swords tighter, "I'm not up for small talk, Jack."

Jack sighed, "Y'know, I take time out of my day to visit you, and you can't spare a few minutes?"

"No."

Jack frowned, "I really hoped I wouldn't have to do this."

Jack surged forwards and North raised his swords. When the spirit attacked him with blackened icicles, the elder broke them away. The wooden staff, protected by black ice, would clash with metal. Sparks flew and ran along the ground. They fought for several minutes before Jack finally grew bored.

He gripped North's throat and pushed him forward. North tried to gasp, but there was no air in his lungs. He dropped his swords and clawed at Jack's hand, but his grip was resolute. There were no Yetis to save him, and Tooth was still out of commission_  
_

Jack started to laugh as he watched North struggle. When his knees buckled, Jack loosened his grip and watched him fall to the floor.

"Got time to talk, now?"

North took large gulps of air as he massaged his throat. His vision had been fading; his mind had been collapsing. Jack could have killed him. The Guardian could only nod.

Jack smirked, "You wanna know something wonderful, North?"

The Guardian looked up at the spirit. His eyes were distant and wistful. North swallowed hard and remained silent.

"These powers I have, I can do things I never dreamed of doing before!" The spirit smiled as he began to circle North, "I mean I just got into Santa's Workshop! The day before Christmas Eve no less!"

North growled, the only noise he could manage.

Jack wagged his finger, "I know what you're thinking, North, but really, I am_ better. _Use that sense of wonder you told me about! You have to see my side of this!"

"You're side," North muttered, "it…it is dark."

"But for me it's a bright new future."

North shook his head, "Why, Jack?"

The boy grinned, "I'll show ya."

Jack lifted his staff. It surged with a dark force before gray sand surrounded them. It enveloped North on the ground, settling in his eyes, his nose, his beard, just about anywhere. North coughed and covered his eyes. Jack smiled as he felt the same sand wrap around him.

When North was finally able to open his eyes, he was no longer in his workshop. The landscape was grey, flat, and utterly empty. The only defining feature was Jack.

North slowly rose to his feet. He took a step forwards, but Jack quickly disappeared.

"What do you think it's like North, to lose someone you love?"

The voice echoed around him. It surrounded North and choked him like his hand had before.

"Jaime was an accident."

North was pushed forwards onto his knees. The grey floor rippled beneath him and a face began to form. Her brown eyes stared into his blue ones and her dark blonde hair framed her face.

_Katherine._

The floor began to melt beneath him as the image became more real. He was standing next to her. She stood next to him, a small compass in her hands.

_The compass I gave her so she could find me._

"You love her, don't you?"

North took a deep breath. Katherine was brave, strong, and kind. She had no mother and no father to call her own. She could have been bitter, but no. She was kind to him. She had cared for North for the first time in his life.

A harsh wind whipped around them. Katherine gasped as the compass fell out of her hands. Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

"What if you lost her, North? What if you saw her die? What if you couldn't save her?

North had saved her before. He had saved her Pitch many times. He would protect her with his life and she would do the same.

Snow and ice began to surround her, choking her. She cried out and lunged for North. He tried to reach out, but he was frozen. His limbs were like lead. His breath quickened as his eyes shot towards her. He tried to call out, but his voice was gone.

He watched her get swallowed up. He watched her eyes disappear and he could hear her final breath, "North!"

When it was to late, when her body was gone, North could move. He surged forwards, grasping at the air and calling out her name. He had saved her from Pitch so many times; he had protected her. Now he failed.

"Understand now?"

North grabbed the compass that lay broken on the floor. He traced the cracks of the glass with his finger, not even caring about the pain. It was nothing like losing her.

"You failed."

Jack was whispering in his ear now. His breathe dark and hot, but North couldn't respond. Images of Katherine flashed before him. She was happy and smiling, her eyes lighting up the room. He started to cry when he saw her disappear with a single name on her lips.

The gray world began to dissolve and North's workshop returned. The Guardian was still on the floor, his fingers bleeding. The blood was the only remainder what he had just seen. There was no compass, no glass, no Katherine.

Jack stood over him, staring down at the pitiful mess at his feet. "Do you understand now, North," he growled.

North looked up at Jack, his eyes glazed over and his voice low, "Jack…"

Jack crouched down so his eyes were level with North's, "_That _North is what I felt. That feeling of hopeless failure."

North shook his head, "But why this way?"

Jack scoffed, "Guilt is heavy burden, and sometimes it's easier to fight back."

North met his gaze, "You…you are stronger, Jack. You didn't need Pitch. You had us."

"No, North," he growled, "you would have judged me. I would have felt worse," Jack turned away as his voice dropped to a whisper, "He made the voices go away."

"Jack,"

"No," Jack muttered as he rose to his feet, "I'm done here."

He began to walk away, leaving the Guardian on the floor behind him. North didn't have the strength to call out to him. He wanted to comfort him, to help him realize there was a better way. He couldn't bring himself to saying it. What Jack had done had both physically and mentally exhausted him.

North watched as Jack walked away. There were no backwards glances, no whispers of forgiveness. Just utter silence.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I felt personally late with this one guys. I apologize . I'm hoping to get the next chapter out this week because I'm on winter break. That means more time to write ^.^

Tooth is in a coma, North died a bit on the inside, Bunny is crumbling, and Sandy…well he's next…

MWAHAHAHAHA!

Yes, I am evil. I think Jack the Ripper is getting to me…

Yours till the butter flies,

SerendipityDreamer


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Hey there, guys! So, apparently I broke a lot hearts last chapter with North…have a feeling I'm gonna be breaking those hearts even more with the next few chapters...

I also realized I make empty promises of writing…sometimes inspiration just leaves me and I'm sorry for that. I hope this chapter is worth it. I think we're going to be entering the endgame pretty soon.

Thanks to davisboy, likhitata, and DPfruitloop for the favorites!

Thanks to krystalanimeheart, QueenNayura, and likhitata for following!

Thanks to Skye Bloodwillow, Night-Fury1, demonsLOver, RabbitPaols, likhitata, and Fatal Lilly for reviewing/commenting!

Enjoy the story! ^.^

* * *

"North?"

Bunny stood in the doorway of Tooth's room, studying the elderly Guardian hunched over her bedside. North's head rested in his hands and indiscernible mutters filled the air.

Bunny slowly made his way into the room and spoke softly, "Sandy, he…uh…told me what happened."

"I know, Bunny," North sighed as he lifted his head enough to look at the other Guardian, "Jack…he…something inside him is very _dark._"

Bunny gripped North's shoulder as he continued to speak, "He showed me a vision…of Katherine. He blames himself for Jaime's death."

Bunny nodded, "He wasn't in his right mind when that happened, North."

"And he's not in his right mind, now," North sighed, lowering his head once more.

Bunny sighed, "What do we do then?"

North looked down at Tooth, shaking his head as he reached out to brush her feathers, "I truly don't know."

Tooth stirred in her bed, a soft groan escaping her lips. Her expression was pained, and one could only begin to imagine what troubled her.

Bunny chewed his cheek as he watched North. He had always seen the Guardian so strong and confident. Seeing him like this, injured and worried, was unnerving. Sandy was their final hope. He was the only one who might be able to reach Jack.

* * *

"Why'd you have to be so stubborn, Jaime?"

Pippa sat on cold dirt of the cemetery. Her legs were folded underneath her as she hugged herself. A lingering winter had settled over Burgess, bring harsh winds. Even so, Pippa would visit Jaime's grave every night. Some nights she stayed for only a few passing moments, whispering sweet nothings. Other nights she would sit for hours, retelling the day's events. This was that kind of night.

She had been there for hours already, laughing as she told about her friends' antics and speaking angrily about the stress of school. The sun had set long ago, but Pippa never ran out of things to talk about. It was like chatting with an old friend, but after so long, Pippa wanted to hear another voice: A voice that would laugh and smile with her; a voice that would whisper in her ear; a voice that would shush her as it met her lips.

She sniffed as the wind whipped her short hair around her face, "If you weren't so damn stubborn," she paused, "you'd be here. You'd be _alive._"

She leaned forwards as tears formed in her eyes. She reached out and traced the letters of the tombstone, her fingers lingering on the smooth stone. She reached into her pocket and produced a small piece of paper.

"You made this remember?" Pippa whispered, her voice breaking slightly, "In freshman year, you drew a picture of us."

Pippa unfolded the drawing and studied it. She smiled at the two kids, playing happily in the snow. The boy was chasing the girl, his brown hair falling in his face and a smile on his lips. The girl was looking back at him, her white hat holding her hair in place, her cheeks rosy as a laugh escaped her mouth.

"I told you I loved it, and then you made me a picture every month." Slowly, Pippa placed the picture against the tombstone. She put a small rock in front of the paper to hold it in place.

"This one was always the most special, because it was the first," she swallowed hard, "you were my first, Jaime, and you are…_were…_special."

The wind blew harder now, but Pippa didn't care. She rubbed away the stream of tears as she gathered herself off of the ground. She hugged herself against the wind, oblivious to the fact that she was not alone.

The winter spirit drifted to her side before settling next to her. He matched her stride and flicked his staff, causing the wind to blow harder.

He chuckled as he watched her shiver, "You're guilty too, huh?"

He jogged ahead so that he stood in front of her, his staff waving in her eyes, "It's too bad ya can't see me. I'm sure we could have a rather interesting discussion."

Pippa grumbled and began walking faster. She felt it getting colder and she wanted to get home. Jack wasn't about to let that happen so quickly.

Jack kept up with her, "It's hard, isn't it? Living with the guilt of someone's death," he gripped his staff tighter, "you wish you could've taken his place."

Jack glared at Pippa, flying ahead as dragged his staff across the ground. He smiled at the ice that now lined the path.

Jack's grin grew wider as the girl gasped. Pippa slid forwards as her arms flew out in front of her. She shrieked as her body left the ground, but that shriek was silenced when her head hit the ground.

Jack winced as Pippa hit the ground and drifted over to her. "Poor little Pippa," Jack muttered, "let's hope someone finds you before you freeze over."

With a wave of his staff, Jack was soaring through the sky once more. He didn't look back at the young girl lying motionless on the ground. He had more important things to do. He wouldn't even have to travel very far for his next visit. Tonight, the Sandman had settled himself right over Burgess.

* * *

The Sandman was nervous. He was afraid for North; he knew how important Katherine was to him, and he knew how deeply Jack's visions had wounded him. He wondered if Tooth would ever recover from her coma. Nightmares seemed to plague her, but the dream sand didn't seem to help her.

Sandy shook his head as he commanded the sand. Now was not the time to worry like this. Sandy was still a Guardian, and while he had a duty to his friends, he also had a duty to the children of the world.

The golden sand extended in graceful arcs around Sandy's dream cloud, reaching around every corner of Burgess and granting the children good dreams. He was so immersed in his work; he loved to conjure new dreams for children every night. If he had been more attentive, he might have been able to stop Jack.

The winter spirit had observed the Sandman from afar. When he was confident he wouldn't be noticed, Jack drifted up behind the cloud. As he landed on the cloud of sand, Jack struck his staff on the surface, effectively freezing the cloud.

Before the frost could engulf him, Sandy used his powers to stop its advances. While he was successful, his source of power was frozen. If Jack tried to attack him, Sandy would be trapped. He looked over to Jack, but the frost spirit only smiled.

"Having trouble?" Jack questioned as he walked forwards.

Sandy huffed in anger as he shook a fist at the spirit.

Jack held up his hands and smirked, "Don't get hostile, Sandy. I just want to relax and have a nice conversation."

The Sandman huffed once more as Jack sat next to him with his legs crossed. He made a few signs over his head, "_I don't want to be civil."_

Jack huffed, "Y'know, I always thought you were the kindest one, Sandy. Won't you at least hear me out?"

Sandy quirked his eyebrow, "_What do you want, Jack?"_

Jack sighed, "To be understood, Sandy."

_"So you attacked us?"_

"No, I made the others _understand_," Jack growled, "Tooth lost the memories she was supposed to protect. North remembered the love he had for that little girl."

Sandy shook his head but Jack continued, "You think I'm crazy; you think I'm irrational, evil…whatever," he glared up at the Guardian, "You don't _understand. _And I know exactly how I'm going to do that."

Jack rose to his feet, ignoring Sandy's vicious glare. Jack sighed and closed his eyes, channeling his power into his staff. The staff surged with a twisting black aura. Jack drifted forwards in front of the cloud as he raised his staff in the air. When Jack opened his eyes, Sandy couldn't help but stare into them. They were a dark, consuming black, but the white specks were still there. Those white specks were proof that the old Jack was still there.

"You look after children's dreams, Sandy," Jack growled, "What would you do if you couldn't protect them?"

Sandy sneered, _"Jack, stop it right now."_

Jack smiled, "I'm just getting started Sandy."

A crackling noise filled the air as Sandy's cloud collapsed beneath him. The Sandman was barely able to save himself when he noticed Jack flying away with a laugh. Sandy worked quickly and had soon formed another cloud and gave chase to the spirit.

Jack turned to see the Sandman behind him, his face twisted in anger. Jack let out a laugh, "That's the spirit, Sandy!"

The two were flying over Burgess, buildings rushing past them. Windows showed the sleeping children with smiles plastered on their innocent faces. Jack laughed and twirled through the air, dodging buildings and telephone wires. Sandy shook his head. Through all of this, Jack was still having fun. Yet, the line between having fun and acting malicious had blurred considerably. Jack surged forwards and ducked into an open window with Sandy following close behind.

Sandy's eyes widened when the entered the room. This was Sophie's room. Jack had brought him here, but why? Sandy looked around, studying the golden yellow walls. They were decorated with posters of musicians and TV shows, celebrities and artists. The walls were covered in Sophie's artwork: from paints and pastels to pencil and crayon. And on the far wall was Sophie, wrapped up in her sheets and her blonde hair framing her smiling face. Jack was perched on her bedpost with a smirk on his face.

"So sweet, isn't she?" Jack whispered as he looked down at Sophie, "Her world had been turned upside down, but she returns to that childhood innocence every time she goes to sleep."

Sandy shook his head, but Jack kept going, "What if she could stay like this forever? What if she could just know this innocence? She would never have to wake up and see such horrors."

Jack swallowed hard and chewed his lip. At least someone could be happy; at least someone wouldn't be guilty. He swirled the gray sand in his hand and held it over Sophie's head, taunting Sandy. He looked at the Guardian, "Wouldn't it be better that way, Sandy?"

The Sandman was furious. This wasn't Jack; Jack was too far-gone now. Jack had attacked the Guardians, he had killed people: innocent people. He had killed children; he had killed Jaime. And now, now he wanted to put Sophie in a coma, just like he had done with Tooth. The kind and caring Sandman was gone. He clenched his fists as his sand swirled around him. He thrust his arms forwards and the sand followed his command. He wasn't attacking Jack; he was attacking a monster.

Jack's eyes widened. There was no time for him to react as the sand hit him full force. He was knocked off the bedpost and onto the floor, but the assault didn't stop. He began to suffocate beneath the sand. He was choking but Sandy didn't stop; he couldn't stop. This was for everyone: North, Bunny, Tooth, Jaime, and the old Jack; the Jack Frost that cared about the children.

Sophie woke up with a start. She rubbed her eyes and let out a small shout. Why was Sandy attacking Jack? And why were they in her room? She looked to the Sandman for answers, but his eyes pleaded with hers. Something was wrong.

Slowly, Sandy lowered his arms. He looked Sophie in the eyes and signaled over his head, _"I'm sorry."_

Sophie shook her head, "What's going on, Sandy?"

A small groan drew their attention. Jack was curled up on the floor, his head in his hands. Sophie crawled out of her bed and knelt by Jack's side. Sandy drifted over, nervous that he had hurt the former Guardian too badly.

"Jack?" Sophie whispered, gently tugging at his sweatshirt.

Another groan filled the air as Jack opened his eyes.

Sandy fell back. They were blue. His eyes were _blue. _They were sparkling like fresh snow; they were the eyes that belonged to the old smiled and shook Jack's shoulder, _"Jack, you're better!"_

Jack blinked hard before grumbling, "How did I…" he looked between the two beings hovering over him, "Sophie…Sandy…"

Sandy shook his head, _"Just rest."_

"No, I…" Jack's eyes widened, "No…no I'm so sorry."

Jack bolted upright with a screech, tugging at his hair, "Get out! No voices!"

Sophie backed away and clung to Sandy, "What's wrong with him?"

Jack was on his knees now, still shouting, "I'm sorry! I know I did it! Just go away!" With a final scream, Jack collapsed on the ground.

Sophie bolted forwards again and flipped Jack over. She started to shake his body, and she watched as his eyes cracked open once more.

_Black._

Jack scowled and shot up into the air, "No," he growled, "whatever happened…I'm better now.

Jack shoved past Sophie and glared at the Sandman as he picked up his staff, "You did something, but it didn't work. Got that? I'm _better. _You can't fix what isn't broken."

Jack shook his head and stomped towards the window. He glanced once more at Sophie, "I would've made you forget too, Soph. You could even ask Pippa."

With a smile, Jack flew away.

Sophie chewed her lip and shared a nervous look with the Sandman, "Pippa normally goes to Jaime's grave."

Sandy's eyes widened, _"Do you think…"_

Sophie shook her head and stood up, "We have to find her."

The Sandman nodded. He went to the window and reformed his golden cloud. He stood and held out his hand.

Sophie smiled and took a hold of his hand, "Very Doctor Who like."

Sandy shrugged and headed towards the cemetery. In the back of his mind, he knew there was still hope. Jack had come back, even if it was only for a moment. There was a way to bring Jack back, and the dream sand was the key.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Say what?! A way to save Jack?! Plot twist! So, guys and girls, what do you have to say? Do you think Jack can be saved? I'm on Easter Break right now guys, so hopefully I'll get a bit of writing done. If you guys want to chat, feel free to PM me. I'll tell you where I am with the next chapter.

Happy Easter ya little ankle-biters! (It's already April where I am, I'm a day late…

I love to read your reviews! Constructive criticism is always helpful too!

Yours till the cup cakes,

SerendipityDreamer


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